


Dangerous Crowds

by acciopotatoes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: lots of canon relationships, when it comes to HP I only don't canon when it isn't mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-09
Packaged: 2018-01-24 01:58:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1587461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acciopotatoes/pseuds/acciopotatoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aside from school drama - including friends, enemies, crushes, and classes - the students at Hogwarts have to deal with other issues, too. Why can't the forces of darkness just leave this school alone? The "Golden Generation", called so because the times are new, safer, and better, is now at Hogwarts. But is this new age really all that safer? Can anywhere really be utpoia, or does it just feel like it is because the war has ended? What exactly lurks in the shadows for the Golden New Generation - and are they the victims or the perpetrators?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dangerous Crowds

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know, this first chapter is a Malfoy one. Sue me. And no, this is not "Oh, well, Draco's hot, so I'll say that he's not really all that bad and Harry really should've taken his offer of friendship." But this isn't a vilifying fic, either. He did what he did, and I won't exaggerate or defend it. However, I think that the maturity that comes along with a) having lived through a war, b) having kids, c) marrying Astoria Greengrass, and d) getting older all might have made him realize that he was a dick. I'm not saying that he's now perfect and social and best buddies with Harry. Maybe he's not a dick anymore, but just a bit closed-off.

**1**

It had been so well-planned. Scorpius would sneak into his father's study when Draco was in some other part of the house - knowing that if it was an especially quick trip, he'd leave his wand there to keep the dictation-quill ready. How Scorpius would return it, he wasn't sure; all he knew, in his ten-year-old brain, was that his father always told him that if he was going to do something, do it throughly. So he planned the entire wand-heist out days beforehand, and when opportunity struck, he tip-toed into his father's study and snatched the wand off the desk. The dictation-quill fell, but Scorpius had thought for that, too, and caught it before it could make an ink-blot on the parchment.

Scurrying out of the study and down the stairs, Scorpius ended up in the kitchen. He didn't know what he wanted to do with the wand - he just knew that he wanted it. Looking around for something to try and charm, his eyes landed on the set of crystal goblets that his grandfather had given his son and daughter-in-law as a wedding gift. They weren't dirty, but they had gathered a bit of dust; Scorpius's father insisted they only be used for formal occasions - as if day-to-day life wasn't formal, Scorpius thought to himself. He perked up with an idea. Catchy the house-elf had been nice to him the other day, sneaking him an extra few biscuits; he'd help her and the other house-elves out by cleaning the goblets. Mother had done it once, with a spell - if only he could remember which one it was. Scorpius tried four different spells, all of which had no effect whatsoever. Eventually, he resorted to making things up.

"Cleantosta Gobleosta!"

"Dustaway Gobletamay!"

"Crystalaclean Mcdustaween!"

The last one turned the set a bright chartreuse. Panicking, Scorpios made up spells to un-colour the goblets.

"Nocolouriourum!"

"Bippity-boppity-boo!"

The set of goblets exploded; shards went everywhere, and the beautiful crystal pattern was no more. Miraculously, none of the broken goblets hit Scorpius. The noise did, however, bring Astoria Malfoy into the room. She didn't look the least bit surprised.

"Scor," his mother sighed, "Let me get this straight. You stole your father's wand, came down here, and shattered the goblets? The crystal wedding-gift goblets that have been in the Malfoy family for generations? Centuries, even?"

"I was trying to help!" Scorpius said indignantly.

"I'm sure you were. But...why are the shards this awful shade of yellow?"

After a moment's silence, Astoria fixed the goblets with a wave of her own wand. Seconds later, Scorpius's father came in.

"Astoria, have you seen my wand?"

The wand in question had been hurriedly hidden behind Scorpius's back. "Mm, no, dear. Maybe you left it in the cellar, when you went down to check the wine for tomorrow?" Draco didn't seem convinced. "Maybe," he said, and turned to go check. Scorpius quickly thanked his mother, before rushing off to go replace the wand.

"Wait," he said, turning back. "What's tomorrow?" Astoria looked amused. "You've known for about a month now. The dinner, remember? Ministry officials come to talk about the new potential bill?" Scorpius groaned. If anything, his mother found this funnier. "The Greengrasses will be there." This made Scorpius perk up."Really?"

"Yes. Daph is close with the DMLE, ever since the whole Remington incident." Daphne Greengrass and her daughter were relatively scandalous, so their invitation to the dinner was surprising. Fresh out of Hogwarts, Daphne had tried to get a job at the DMLE, but had been not-so-subtly rejected several times. Eventually, a wizard who did work there caught her eye, and they began dating. It was all very _bohemian_ , people said. They were living together and _breeding_ , unmarried, and he was a muggleborn, Luke Remington, a nobody who was sent on errands for the rest of the office, but oh no, it's not as if that _matters_ anymore, and apparently the most shocking thing was that suddenly, Daphne didn't support the pureblood Slytherin ideals she had been raised with. He had turned her, they said. But then he went and got himself killed in a hate crime, so in 2003, when Callista was born, there wasn't a father to name her after. So, instead, her name was just Callista Greengrass, and her mother raised her by herself. Not even widowed, since there had never been a marriage. Just single.

Scandalous, indeed. Now Daphne and her daughter lived at Hogwarts, since Daph taught Charms. Callista, Scorpius would later realise, had been his first crush. She was three years older, so she was already thirteen, and living at Hogwarts gave her a sophisticated aura - to an ten-year-old Scorpius, at least. She was still fun, though, and Scorpius looked up to her in that way that little boys appreciate the teenage girl next door.

He remembered that he still had his father's wand, and hurried to put it back.

 

**2**

Scorpius found Callista about halfway through the party, when everyone was still standing around socializing. She was sitting in the corner, criss-cross-applesauce, writing something on her hand. Another thing Scorpius liked about Callista - she always carried a pen (a Muggle pen!) around with her, writing poetry, quotes, or just words she happened to like on her hand. She'd wait for it to fade, then replace it with something else.

Scorpius made his way over to her, before stopping to her right. She glanced up, brushing her hair behind an ear with the back of her hand. "Oh, hello, Scor," she said cheerfully. "I was just copying some Edgar Allen Poe - Muggle bloke, but very good. Depressing, some might say, but beautiful. How have things been?"

"This party's a bore." She sighed heavily. "Tell me about it. Hey, whaddya say we go nick some biscuits from the kitchen? The house-elves'll have finished cooking by now; we should be safe." Scorpius thought that was a great idea. "Yeah! But Catchy gave me the last of the chocolate-toffee ones a few days ago. Sorry." Chocolate biscuits with toffee drizzles were Callista's favorite.

"Oh, it's fine," she brushed it off. "Mum brought Astoria a box of coffee ones, as a present for having the nerve to invite her. Your dad wasn't too keen on it. We can have some of those. I'll charm it so that it looks like they haven't been opened."

"You've brought your wand?" Scorpius asked, eyes wide. Callista laughed a little at that, blowing on her hand to make it dry. "Of course," she said with a smile, "I bring it everywhere. Mum says I should get in the habit. She turns a blind eye if I do any magic, as long as I do my chores properly." Scorpius, at ten years old, was jealous for a full five seconds, before he remembered it was Cali, and they made their way to the kitchen.

The package of coffee biscuits was in a cupboard, as promised, and he and Callista ate some.

Scorpius led the way out of the kitchen, so he didn't notice Callista stop for a moment, pull a bottle of Hittlehump's Hellish Hot Seasoning out of her pocket, and dump it into the bowl of pudding on the counter. She stirred it up with her wand before pocketing the empty bottle and following Scorpius. Neither noticed the house-elf peeking around a corner, who had seen the whole thing.

When the time for dinner came, the guests were asked to stand along the wall while the table was conjured and floated down from the ceiling. It was all for show, of course; normally, the table would be there at all times, and the room would have certainly been large enough for everyone and the table. Guests took their seats. Astoria had taken care of everything else related to the gathering, but seating had been delegated to her husband. As such, Callista and her mother were seated far away from any influential people, and instead left to chit chat with the secretaries.

After three courses, the desserts were brought out.

After three minutes, anyone who had gotten the pudding was panicking.

The first one of the afflicted was Jackie McDodgington, a witch who knew a person who knew a person who was rather high up in the Ministry. She had gotten a rather large helping of the pudding, and had taken an equally rather large spoonful. Milliseconds later, she was coughing it back up, all over the tablecloth - not to mention her own robes - screaming about needing water. Several guests followed suit.

All in all, thirty-one out of fifty people had been nastily surprised with a very large helping of Hittlehump's Hellish Hot Sauce. Anarchy ruled for a solid twenty minutes, before everyone calmed down enough to take their places and go about trying to explain how - and what - had gotten into the pudding. A small, traitorous voice spoke up.

"Catchy saw who did it, Master Malfoy."

Draco, thoroughly embarrassed at having this disaster happen at his dinner, turned sharply to the house-elf. "Did you do it, elf?"

"N-no!" Catchy squeaked. "Catchy saw the half-breed Greengrass girl do it! She poured a bottle into the pudding, but Catchy couldn't see what it was, Catchy would have said something sooner, but Catchy couldn't get a chance to say anything-"

"The Greengrass girl?" Draco whirled back to face the table. Astoria, Scorpius noticed, had gone white. "Callista Greengrass? Did you do this?" His tone implied he thought it entirely possible, and knowing Callista, Scorpius did too.

Callista's face was white, also. White, but still stubborn, as always. "Yes." Catchy chimed in. "The half-breed has the bottle in her pocket! The pocket of her shameful, Muggle clothes, which she dared to wear to Malfoy Manor -"

"That's enough, Catchy." Draco's tone was sharp. Catchy shrunk back against the wall. Callista took the empty bottle out of her pocket and slammed it on the table, still staring at the wall. Daphne looked like she was either about to laugh or scream, or maybe both. Scorpius knew her well enough to expect either one. After all, she freely admitted that she was a "right little underling for the wrong sort," at Hogwarts. Rumor had it she was a little crazy, after the war, and the Remimgton incident hadn't helped. Cali had never confirmed or denied it.

After that fiasco, the Greengrasses were explicitly banned from Malfoy Manor. As such, Scorpius's friendship with Callista was put on hold until Hogwarts.

 

**3**

Scorpius had gotten his letter for Hogwarts a week ago, and had been bouncing off the walls to go and buy his things ever since. Finally, his mother had taken him, although he also had to endure shopping for boring, everyday things. However, he had managed to convince her to at least let him go in the bookshop by himself, while she did her errands.

There were house-elves that could put in orders, certainly, but Astoria Malfoy was an influential woman in the Ministry, and it was important that she be seen out in public from time to time. Besides, she had confided in her son, Astoria liked to see Diagon Alley and pretend like it was her first time buying school things, chattering excitedly with her sister. Before the rise of the Dark Lord and before they were old enough to worry about blood.

Scorpius had his books in a bag slung over his shoulder, and he wanted to explore. His mother, he knew, was in Madam Jormaldine's, and that always took forever. He'd have plenty of time to wander around before she came back. Except that now he was lost within the narrow, intricate streets of Diagon Alley, and the shops around here were decidedly darker and dingier.

With a start, Scorpius realized he was in Knockturn Alley. It was alright, he thought to himself. Not the most savory place, but all he had to do was pop into a shop and ask for directions. The nearest one had pickled things in the dusty window. Scorpius swallowed and edged inside.

The shopkeeper was in conversation with a man in tattered navy robes and thinning dark hair. "Now, sir, if you keep these at too warm a temperature, they'll cook and spoil. Too cold, and they'll contract and get too stiff. There's a charm I can show you, to keep them good. With a swirling wrist, and make sure to roll the _r_ in the incantation, yes, that's good." The shopper nodded and opened up the top of the box he'd been handed. The shopkeeper plopped another object in, and Scorpius was horrified to realize that it was a human organ. Shifting to the side and peeking around the shopper, he was able to read the scrawled handwriting on the side of the box: KIDNEYS.

The shopkeeper glanced up sharply, and seemed to notice Scorpius for the first time. "Boy!" He called harshly, his voice seeming to be made out of glass. Scorpius hadn't noticed it when the shopkeeper was whispering, but now that he was talking loudly, it sounded like his voice was torn up. The customer turned, too, and while Scorpius had no idea who the man was, he seemed to know Scorpius.

"Ah, Draco Malfoy's boy! It's alright, Loetuse - he's a Malfoy." The shopkeeper still looked suspious, but didn't say anything as Scorpius shuffled forward at the customer's beckoning.

"I remember your father. Brave boy, he was. Didn't bat an eye where other children - weaklings - would have fainted. It's a shame he isn't active at all anymore; we could use a man like him. If you're ever interested in some ... unique job opportunities, I am willing to help. Alkasta Dilk." The man held out his hand, and Scorpius, not knowing quite what to do, shook it.

"Scorp! Loetuse, what are you doing?" The new voice rang out sharply, accusatory. Loetuse, the shopkeeper, glanced towards the source. Scorpius did, too - it was Callista Greengrass.

She was different, though; she was in fourth year, now, but looked older. She had magicked her hair black, with thin red steaks - she had eyeliner, dark eye shadow, and red lipstick. And, Scorpius noticed that if he looked close enough, he couldn't see her freckles anymore, so she had probably covered those up somehow. "Scorp, hey, long time no see," she said, glancing at him. "Now, Loetuse, let him go, okay? Kid's just wandered into the wrong shop. Come on, Scorp, let's go."

Callista practically dragged him out of the store, and once they were out of the shop, shoved him up against the brick wall. "What the hell were you doing in there? Do you know what could've happened? Loetuse was only quiet because Dilk was in there. If there hadn't been a customer there, you would've been threatened into silence within an inch of your life. He doesn't like it when people oversee his more shady activities. Especially considering your mother is very influential."

"Um, Cali?" Scorpius asked tentatively. "Why do you know that? Or those people?"

"Relax, I'm not here for myself. Besides, it's nothing immoral. Now, what are you doing here?"

"I got lost, but-"

"Well, let's get you back to ... where's Astoria?"

"Madam Jormaldine's," Scorpius said quietly.

"Great, let's get you back. So you're, what, eleven? Starting Hogwarts next year?"

They kept talking on the way back, mostly chitchat. At least, until they were standing outside Madame Jormaldine's, where Scorpius stopped suddenly. "Callista? Why did you say earlier that whatever you were doing wasn't immoral? What are you doing?" She sighed. Her answer ignored his last question, but was still something that, later, Scorpius would remember. "I'm not sure, kiddo. Sometimes things are blurry. Some things are obviously wrong, some are clearly right, but others are in the grey area. You've just got to do the best you can, that's all."

**Author's Note:**

> The first few chapters will be like this, two or three little shots into the life of a character (or several characters, so I can get these little prolouges over with faster). The next chapter is either a Greengrass chapter or a Potter chapter - not quite sure which yet. Feedback is great, which means that reviews are much appreciated! See that text box down there? If you leave a review, a HP character will take you to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts! 
> 
> (Note from a doctor: Subject acciopotatoes is delusional and cannot promise a trip to Hogwarts in exchange for reviews. However, with such extreme cases, it is good to humor the subject and leave said review.)


End file.
